The end of Skype for Business is nearing

This announcement is most relevant to businesses who’ve been using Office365 before September of last year.

Just over a year ago, Microsoft made the official announcement indicating the retirement of Skype for Business – and with only 1 year left before retirement, businesses who rely on Skype for Business are encouraged to begin planning for the next steps.

While this year has packed more changes than anyone expected, for many of us free time has been a scarce luxury – but as the world slowly acclimatises to the new changes, it may be worth taking a moment to plan for your migration from Skype for Business.

Why the change?

Since its introduction in 2014, Skype for Business has been relied upon by businesses around the world, but as part of new initiatives at Microsoft, a shift of emphasis to Microsoft Teams and an all-inclusive approach to team collaboration has taken centre stage.

Three years into Microsoft Teams and Microsoft is confident in its ability to add value to the modern business – touting it as the tool that allows companies around the world to become more agile, improve key workflows and eliminate unnecessary overhead. And Microsoft isn’t the only one, we’ve frequently mentioned the benefits of Microsoft Teams, and helped many businesses migrate to the new platform.

We see such value in MS Teams, that we’ve just finished putting together a free eBook, breaking down the platform and showing how it will change your business. Download it here!

Skype for Business Retirement Plan:

As indicated in Microsoft’s announcement to retire Skype for Business, the platform will no longer be accessible as of July 31^st, 2021. After which, the platform will be retired, and users will be forced to use alternatives.

From September 2019, Microsoft has been onboarding new customers directly to the Microsoft Teams platform – in substitute of Skype for Business.

If you’re currently using Skype for Business as your preferred communication platform, the team at Fitzrovia IT is helping businesses just like yours migrate to MS Teams. Our specialists walk you through setup, installation and planning for the platform, as well as strategies to boost internal adoption. Learn more about how we can help.

What’s the difference between Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams?

MS Teams is a natural evolution to the capabilities that Skype for Business added to companies in 2014. Retaining the meeting and calling functions in Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams further expands communications capabilities by developing a hub for teamwork. In addition to all the features known of Skype for Business, MS Teams allows chat, voice, file sharing, real-time collaboration and task management among much more.

Throughout all the challenges that have come from this year, we’ve frequently highlighted the benefits of Microsoft Teams. Fuelled mostly by the need for remote working, MS Teams has allowed companies to continue business in the face of trying times.

If you’d like to learn more about MS Teams, read our blog here, or download our free eBook.